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Technically, its not a NSDAP election token, but it sets the stage for the political environment in Weimar Germany. The horrific inflation of the early 1920s destroyed people's lives and helped fuel the political furor that led to the appeal of radical political parties. I believe the following token may have been a socialist token, but it does not matter. The sentiment spoke for most of the parties. Obverse: Raised hand grasping hammer. Die Arbeit ist der Fels auf dem die Kirche der Zurkunft erbaut wird. Work is the rock on which the church of the future is built. Reverse: Zur Erinnerung an Deutschlands schlimmste Zeit / 1923 / im Nov. kostete / 1 Pfd. Fleisch 3200 Milld. / 4 Pfd. Brot 840 Milliard. / 1 Klr, Kartoff. 5000 Milld. / 3 Millionen / Erwerbslose / Denkt daran! To the memory of Germany’s worst time. 1923 in November, Prices: 1 pound of meat, 3200 Million marks 4 pounds of bread, 840 Million marks 1 kiloliter? potato, 5000 Million marks 3 million unemployed, Remember! Sometimes its helpful to remember the economic reality that the colorful notgeld represents.

Uh, I believe that image is allegorical and refers to her execution (the rock has the date of her execution on it).

Obol, Blois Hugues de Chatillon 1292 - 1307 Legros 992 Roberts 5065s Duplessy 591 After a 100 year lapse, coinage began again in Blois under Jean de Chatillon (1241-1279). Most likely, the Capétien-Plantagenêts conflict that heavily impacted the Chartrain played a role in the demise of some coinage. While the lands of Champagne yielded to the crown in the 1200s, followed by those of the Chartrain and Chartres to relieve debts, the lands of Blois and Dunois preserved their independence until Louis XII became king in 1498 when Blois becomes the royal residence of Louis. Jean Châtillon reunited the lands of Chartres and Blois in 1256. His son, Hugues, struck the obol pictured here. The lily pays hommage to the ties to the royal French line. All coins from the late period of the history of Blois are rare. Despite the poor preservation of this particular coin, one can still see the improved technique and quality of the die engravers.

Denier, Celles Robert I 1178 - 1189 Legros 1442 Roberts 5033 Duplessy 611A The lords of Celles were vassals of Saint-Aignan (in turn vassals of Blois). What I find interesting is that their die cutters copied the earlier style of Eudes II at a time when the mint at Saint-Aignan was copying those of Chartres and Châteaudun. Both mints converted to the emerging castle (châtel-tournois) style that replaced the tête chartrain. I particularly like the unique lettering style on the reverse. As with the coins of each of the minor mints, all Celles coins are rare.

Denier, Saint-Aignan Geoffroy I of Donzy 996 - 1037 (coinage likely dates ca 1030 to 1175) Legros 1461 Roberts 5147 Dupplesy 608 The lords of Donzy were vassals of the Counts of Blois. The earliest examples of their coins date to the first quarter of the 11th century. All varieties of the basic type shown here are rare. Compare the basic style of this piece with that of Eudes II above. Either the mints shared the same die cutters, or the artists closely copied the Blois style. When the Blois mint ceased production, the coins of Saint-Aignan changed to the style of Chartres and Châteaudun. Compare this to the next coin of Celles that maintains the blésoise style head.

Denier, Blois Thibaut III 1037 -1089/90 Legros 965 Roberts 5056 Duplessy 578 The first tete chinonaise I acquired in 2002 from Pegasi. In April of 2006, I acquired this unlisted variety from Pegasi. (Note two dots or bezants on the obverse to the left of the three bars forming the mouth and chin instead of the one in the type example. The reverse inscription is partially blundered and lacking the cross that typically marks the top of the design and begins the legend.) Thibaut III was unable to sustain the gains of his father, losing territory through inheritence practices and continued battles with the likes of Count Geoffrey Martel of Anjou. The loss of Touraine in 1044 ended the expansionist goals of the House of Blois. Approximately 100 years passed after ca. 1100 before coinage would resume in Blois.

Denier, Blois Eudes II ca. 996 - 1037 Legros 943 Roberts 5055v Duplessy 575 Eudes II seized the counties of Troyes and Meaux after 1019. He acquired Champagne in 1023 and succeeded in encircling the lands of the Capétians. In 1032, he acquired the kingdom of Burgundy. When he died in 1037, the lands were divided among his descendants.

Roger Burdette's Renaissance of American Coinage: 1905-1908 arrived today, the second of three planned volumes. The third volume appeared first, this is the first volume published second, the second volume comes next year. 1905 to 1908 covers the Augustus Saint-Gaudens designs and a briefer discussion of the Pratt designs. Burdette's work is fresh and provides new insights to our coinage and the politics behind their design and production.

I suspected something like that from the photograph. It gives me that sense that its spectacular and the picture doesn't quite catch it. I've taken to snapping two images, one with the axial ligthing through the angled glass, then a send with direct light, but leaving the glass in place so there is no movement. I then process each image in Photoshop to try to capture the best elements of that partuclar lighting technique. Finally, I overlay one with the other (generally the darker image as the base) and tinker with the opacity of the top image to get the best possible image. Sometimes it works. I have no qualm about toying with hue, saturation, etc to try to get the characteristics to emerge that I want to capture. Sometimes its easy. Other pieces just seem bound and determined to withhold their beauty from a mere mortal photographer such as myself.

Your collection is truly exceptional, but there are pieces that stand out for each of us because of personal likes, dislikes, etc. I love the style and themes of this particular medal. You have been very careful to note originals and restrikes. I am struck by the beautiful preservation state of this medal. I know your pieces are of high quality and your photography is exceptional, but even so, I get the feeling that this must be a stunning piece that must be even better in person. I'm not sure how to phrase my question. Can you comment on the quality of this particular medal. Is it unusual for the series, the type, your collection, etc? Does it look good in the photograph but is in fact not exceptional? Do you know much of its history and how it survived in its current state?

1893 Aluminum Ferris Wheel So-Called Dollar Hibler & Kappen 171 38.5 mm EF Obverse features the Ferris Wheel created for the fair, Chicago's answer to the Eiffel Tower. The legends around the wheel read CHILDS CHICAGO,around HEIGHT 264 FEET WEIGHT 8600000 LBS. CAPACITY 2160 PEOPLE, outer inscription THE FERRIS WHEEL / ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD. The reverse features minature Exposition building medals with minature CHILDS signatures. The medals include: ADMINISTRATION BUILDING / MACHINERY HALL/ ELECTRICAL BUILDING / MINING BLDG / S D CHILDS & CO CHICAGO. The Ferris Wheel was the focal point of the Midway Plaisance (the postcard and hamburger were other notable introductions to our culture at the fair). The ethnographic displays and villages were supposed to be educational, but the were the popular entertainment of the fair, including the the Egyptian 'hootchy-kootchy' dancers. An interactive map of the Midway can be found at http://columbus.iit.edu/dreamcity/midway.html.

1893 Aluminum Chicago 60th Anniversary Souvenir Eglit 42 44.5 mm Unc The obverse shows a two log cabins and a fishing scene, a man sitting on the dock with a pole, two on a catwalk with a pole, and a boat further out in the channel. The inscription reads, AREA, ONE SQ. MILE CHICAGO 1833. POPULATION, 150 SOULS / VENI, VIDI, VICI. The reverse is an early attempt at the Lord's Prayer on the head of a pin. Hibler & Kappen list one Chicago Facts so-called dollar with minimal facts, but they don't include this piece although it falls within their size limits. This piece reads on the outer ring, AREA 176 SQ. MILES CHICAGO.1893 POPULATION, 1.500.000 / SOUVENIR OF 60 YEARS GROWTH. Interior inscription, TWENTY-EIGHT / RAILROADS CENTRE IN / CHICAGO, OVER WHICH 922 PAS- / SENGER TRAINS / ARRIVE AND DEPART DAILY. / THE TONNAGE OF THE PORT OF CHICAGO / RANKS AS THE FOURTH LARGEST / IN THE WORLD. / TWENTY-SIX NATIONAL BANKS. THE BANK CLEAR- / INGS ARE THE SECOND LARGEST ON THE / AMERICAN CONTINENT. / THE LARGEST GRAIN, STOCK AND LUMBER MARKETS IN / THE WORLD. / 2,000 ACRES IN PUBLIC PARKS, CONNECTED BY THIRTY- / SIX MILES OF BOULEVARDS. / NINETY-FOUR MILES OF STREET RAILWAYS OPERATED BY / CABLE, 350 MILES OPERATED BY HORSES AND / ELECTRICITY, AND 24 MILES OF ELEVATED RAILWAYS. / CHICAGO HAS MORE / FINE OFFICE BUILDINGS THAN ANY OTHER CITY IN / AMERICA, AND HER MAGNIFICENT / HOTELS, CHRUCHES, SCHOOLS AND / THEATRES ARE NOT / SURPASSED BY ANY CITY / IN THE WORLD. / - PATENT APPLIED FOR -. Whew, and all in just 60 years! The Chicago Public Library features vignettes of Chicago history. Legislation passed February 12, 1831 provided that any community of over 150 inhabitants was authorized to incorporate as a town, with limits not to exceed one square mile in extent. On August 12, 1833, the Town of Chicago was incorporated with a population of 350. Chicago grew up around Fort Dearborn. Five or six log houses were located outside the fort, presumably a couple of them are shown on the medal although I do not know the source of the illustration. The Chicago Public Library shows an image, A Map of Chicago, Incorporated as a Town, August 5, 1833, compiled from the original "Map of Chicago about 1833," by Walter H. Conley and O.E. Stelzer, 1933. (CCW Oversize 44). Although the image is small, you can just makes out some scenes that may have inspired the artist.

1893 Aluminum Michigan Forestry Exhibit So-Called Dollar Hibler & Kappen 214 38 mm Unc The obverse depicts a log cabin from a Michigan logging camp (an example of an ethnographic exhibit mentioned in an earlier post). Legends above the cabin read, WORLD’S FAIR, below CHILDS CHICAGO / 1893. The surrounding ring reads, MICHIGAN FORESTRY EXHIBIT / LOGGING CAMP. Childs, Chicago indicates the company producing the medal. The reverse shows a load of logs on a horse-drawn sled with the legends above CHAMPION LOAD OF LOGS. Below 36055 FEETWEIGHT 144 TONS / DRAWN BY EST. OF / THOMAS NESTOR. Thomas Nestor established a mill in Pequaming in 1879, adding another nearby. His firm grew to include a shipping fleet on Lake Superior. The World's Fair Load of Logs, 36,055 feet, was hauled by Thomas Nester's crew to Ontonogan River, Michigan on February 26, 1893. They exhibited the load in Chicago at the World's Fair as the largest load of logs ever hauled in the world and hauled by one team. Height of load 33 feet 3 inches, weight of logs 144 tons. Sled teams routinely competed for such drinking honors at the end of the day. An early book (digital version at Library of Congress, American Memory), Between the iron and the pine; a biography of a pioneer family and a pioneer town, describes the process: On the skidways were small piles of logs to be hauled out on the big sleighs to the rollways on the river bank, where they would await the spring drive. The sleighs used to haul the great loads of logs were from eight to ten feet wide at the double runners and shod with inch-thick steel. Twelve and fourteen cross beams or bunks were fastened across the sleigh with "king bolt" in the middle in order that the bunks could be swung back lengthwise on the return trip so that sleighs could pass each other more easily at the "turn-outs." The sleighs were drawn to the side of the skidways and the logs were rolled onto the bunks, at first by the loading and decking crew with canthooks, then as the pile became higher, decking chains were placed around the middle of the logs and the logs pulled onto the high load with horses. The entire load was bound by chains at each end and was ready to go. The teamster climbed to the top and drew up his reins. Again speaking quietly to his horses, the driver reined his team to the right to "break" the runners. Then straightening the animals out for a forward pull, he eased them into their collars. Digging their sharp-shod feet into the ice and snow, the horses started the load. Once the load, weighing from ten to fifteen tons at times, gathered momentum, it did not stop until the rollway was reached. Each teamster endeavored to haul a record load. There was spirited competition and lively small betting between the drivers. In the bunkhouse each crew bragged about the loads hauled during the day. The passage later describes the honored event: The largest load of logs ever hauled out of the woods consisted of 36,055 feet of virgin Michigan pine. The logs averaged eighteen feet in length. The height of the load was thirty-three feet and three inches. The weight was one hundred and forty-four tons. This load was decked by a chain and a team of horses. It was hauled by a team on iced roads to the Ontonagon river, then rafted in the spring to the nearest railroad where it was loaded onto nine flatcars and shipped to the Chicago World's Fair to be used in buildings there. As many a forty million feet of logs were taken out of the woods by one outfit in one season. The load was immortalized in a historic photograph:

1893 Aluminum Ada Rehan So-Called Dollar Hibler & Kappen 767 44.5 mm, AU The obverse depicts Ada Rehan left, with the inscription ADA REHAN 1893. Incused, below the bust is COPYRIGHT 1893 BY R.H. PARK. Ada Rehan (1860 - 1916) was born Ada Crehan in Limerick, Ireland. She debuted on the American stage in Philadephia at age 14. A program spelling error led to her satge name, Rehan. She became popular in New York and London for her Shakespearan roles. The reverse shows a statute of justice standing on a globe on an eagle with the inscription, THE SILVER STATUE OF JUSTICE / OF THE STATE OF MONTANA. Hibler and Kappen list the medal in their American Personalities section and propose it was issued to commemorate an appearance in Montana. The medal should probably be listed among the World's Columbian medals. Richard Henry Park, sculptor, chose Ada Rehan as the model for a silver and gold sculpture commissioned for the Montana exhibit at the Exposition. The statue announced Montana as a major player in gold and silver mining. The statue illustrated by C Graham for Scenes from the 1893 World's Fair The Columbian Exposition (see http://washingtonmo.com/1893/index2.htm). A description of the exhibit in the Book of the Fair: But the centre of attraction is Montana’s beautiful pavilion, at the entrance of which stands a case of specimens from the Elkhorn district, is the statue of Justice, fashioned of native silver, and with orthodox scales and sword. In this statue, placed under a canopy of maroon velvet, in the centre of the pavilion, and guarded by two bronze lions, was used nearly a ton of sterling silver, the figure resting on a silver globe, beneath which is an eagle with outstretched wings. The lower portion of the pedestal is of ebony, and upon this is a plinth of pure gold, more than two feet square, and representing, as is said, a value of $250,000. The model selected for this, the largest silver statue in the world, was the actress Ada Rehan, whose stately and opulent form is cast in heroic mold. Behind the statue is a structure fashioned of copper bars; on the walls the more prominent mining centres are reproduced in photographs, and at the back a painting, named A Good Strike, represents the scene which its title indicates. And a photograph from the Library of Congress:

The World's Columbian Exposition commemorated the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America. Expositions had a profound impact on the country as well as European nations. Ethnographic "villages" introduced the public to other cultures and other ways of life long before television brought the world into your home. The debates as to whether the impacts promoted understanding or racism will never be resolved. Many of the "displays" went on to become side-shows that travelled the country. The exposition was important from my collecting perspective by the rich array of aluminum medals and tokens produced as souvenirs. Many of these are cataloged as so-called dollars. My favorite is the topic of the first entry in this thread. 1892 Aluminum Liberty Head Dollar / Landing of Columbus Hibler & Kappen 222 36mm Proof (with original card box of issue) I'm following H&K in showing the Liberty Head as the obverse in a ring of stars with 1892 below. The medal's engraver, Adolph Weyl of Germany, described the Liberty head as the reverse. The initials, W.M. appear on the base of the bust. Compare the portrait to George Morgan's Liberty on the silver dollar. I assume WM is for Wilhem Mayer, the German company that produced the medal. The reverse shows the landing of Columbus with 1492 below and the legend, DEDICATED TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IN HONOR OF THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICAN / UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL. The medal is proof and came with the original card box of issue. Hibler and Kappen indicate that it is very scarce (251 - 500), but I've seen 4 or 5 other nice proof examples on Ebay in the past year. One graded by NCG for a registry set was listed at $1,900, but most seem to run in the $150 to $300 range. The medal was first shown at the Italo-American Exposition in Genoa, Italy.

Political tokens served a variety of purposes such as propaganda in your pocket and reminders to vote, and they also served to legitimize campaign donations at political rallies. The turmoil of post World War I Germany brought on by the economic crises and multiple failed governments contributed to the rise of increasingly radical and agressive political parties of which the NSDAP was only one. One law meant to lower the level of conflict forbid parties from collecting donations at political rallies on the theory that restricting the flow of donations would help weaken the influence of the parties. They responded with a variety of ways to continue the cash flow, typically relying on the sale of items such as postcards, pamphlets, etc. Sales of things were legal. The NSDAP sold donation tokens and the tokens shown in the previous posts could well have been donation tokens as well. A series of tokens specifically identify themselves as being donation tokens, some with specific values. An unusual brass token commemorates the act of voting itself in the 1932 Reichstag election. The obverse features a swasstika buried in a sea of raised hands perhaps indicating it was issued after the July election when the NSDAP scored its largest vote. The artist's stylized signature reads GHM or GMH depending on the order in which the letters are meant to be read. The reverse reads "1932 Reichstag Election, Campaign Donation, Never Capitulate."

Not all election tokens featured Hitler. The April 24, 1932 Prussian state elections were held following Hindenburg's ban of the SA and SS military arms of the NSDAP. Military units of other political parties were banned as well, but the real intention was controlling the violence perpetrated by the Nazis. Perhaps an answer to Hindenburg (or maybe just evidence of the problem), the Prussian arm of the party issued a militant aluminum token. The obverse pictures a nude male slaying a three-headed snake. The reverse declares "Fight lies, deceit, and treason. Action liberates. Vote List 8, April 24, 1932." The darkened area below the snake is damage from some sort of tape attached to the token at some point in the past.

Yes, they are aluminum. I should have included that!

German political events and social conditions of the post World War I period produced a rich array of exonumia. I became interested in the political tokens in the 1970s as I was researching the catalog, Medallic Portraits of Adolf Hitler (co-authored with R.W. Colbert, published by the Token and Medal Society, 1981). I'll post a few of the Hitler portrait tokens and some related tokens to expand on the discussion about Hitler and von Hindenburg started in thread initiated by Goetzdude and his spectacular Goetz medals. The tokens are not of the same artistic quality, but they are historically important nonetheless. The earliest election token dates to the 1928 Reichstag election. The token urges the recipient to vote for List 12. The candidates in Reichstag elections appeared on ballots as a slate of candidates. List 12 meant the NSDAP was the 12 slate on the ballot. The number of candidates elected was a product of the propostion of votes the slate received. Only the first 4 candidate names appeared on the ballot with the List number. The obverse Identifies Hitler as the part leader, the leader out of the hardship. The reverse slogan, we want to pave the road to freedom for the German worker, is rather long and complicated for the party's propaganda philosophy. That slogan would change on tokens issued for future elections. The second token was issued for the 1932 presidential election. The presidential elections were for individuals, hence the "Vote Adolf Hitler." Hitler polled 37% of the vote. Hindenburg was elected with 53%. The third token commemorates the success of the 1930 Reichstag elections heading into the 1932 elections. The Nazi party received a plurality of the vote and became the largest party in the Reichstag. It did not, however, receive a majority and that prompted to political maneuverings discussed in the Goetzdude thread about Hitler's appointment as Reichs Chancellor. The token may have promoted the July or the November 1932 elections. The NSDAP retained its pluraity in November, but lost ground. The reverse shows the eagle and swastika and the 1928 to 1932 vote totals. The inscriptions promote "Freedom and Bread" and "Now More Than Ever." This particular token is from the John Ford collection. He "liberated" a few Hitler medals from the party headquarters (the Brown House) in Munich and that began his collecting interest. His collection was sold at auction by Bowers and Ruddy in 1983. I reviewed the collection during the cataloging phase and later purchased two election tokens in the auction. We cataloged 12 different tokens in this political series. One of the twelve featured a more naturalistic portrait, the other 11 share the same obverse portrait. Others varieties may exist as much of this material was destroyed after the war during de-Nazification efforts.

My latest purchase arrived today. From the seller's description: Heiss, Aloïs. Description générale des monnaies antiques de l'Espagne. Paris, L'Imprimerie Nationale, 1870. 548 pp., 68 ppl. of line drawings. Quarterbound cloth with marbled boards. Fine, spine a bit faded. No to very minimal foxing. An early standard work on Celtiberian and Romano-Spanish coinages, still often cited. Employs thick paper with large margins and specially designed Iberian/Phoenician fonts, includes valuations in Francs, and the line drawings are nothing less than superb. It was described as massive (9.5" by 12.5", 3" thick), about 10 pounds. The paper feels wonderful and the type has an amazing raised texture. The custom fonts are nothing short of superb and the illustrations are spectacular. I never seize to be amazed by the quality of the line drawings from the 1800s. An added bonus, not in the dealer's description, is the bookplate of the eminent numismatist, Doct. Pierre Bastien. A note in E-sylum describes the bookplate as: appropriately, in the form of a coin, the obverse bearing the image of a woman (Cleopatra?) feeding a snake, the reverse with comic and tragic masks, a scroll and a pen upon a manuscript. Bastien wrote French catalogs of the Roman coins of Lugdunum (among other books). While I do not yet own any of his books (they are on my library want list), I now own a spectacular book from his personal library. I love these personal ties to the numismatic community.

That dead duck(???) looks ready to be plucked! (Nice acqusitions. )

I've picked up a few token books in the last few weeks, Latin American Tokens by Russell Rulau, Tokens of Mexico by Frank Grove, and a signed and numbered copy of A Guide to Colorado Merchant Trade Tokens by Stuart Pritchard. Standard fair to expand my library in support of my aluminum collection (and just because I like numismatic books). But the best find was Thai Coins by Mark Graham and Manfred Winkler, 1992, Finance One Limited, Bangkok, Thailand. It is a beautifully illustrated survey of the history of Thai coins published in Thai and English. The coins and various monetary forms used through time are all illustrated with the best examples from private collections, many of them extremely rare and not commonly encountered by Western collectors. Although I do not collect Thai coins, I could not pass this beautiful volume that I encountered in our local used bookstore.

For the most part, toning is not my thing. I agree that well developed attractive toning is something that might draw one to a coin. However, its not something I seek out one way or another. That 1883 nickel on the other hand could seriously spoil me. That is one beautiful coin!

The one day San Francisco Historical Bourse was held today. Only about 14 dealers, but all specializing in ancients and it seemed busy all day long. I hope the dealers had a good day so that it gains in strength. The two day show typically held this time of year had slowly collapsed. In addition to two coins, I cam home with two books: The Barbaric Tremissis in Spain and Southern France Anastasius to Leovigild by Wallace J. Tomasini (ANS Museum Notes and Monographs, 152 -- 1964). I don't own any of these coins and have been tempted from time to time. Now I can learn something about them. The second book I've scanned from time to time lusting after the quality of the photography, so I broke down today and bought one: Roman Coins by J.P.C. Kent with photographs by Max and Albert Hirmer. (Abrams 1978).

Thank you! Great coins, fun contest.